WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Senate was locked down on Wednesday afternoon as U.S. Capitol Police investigated reports of "an active shooter" in the office buildings.

"Our officers are searching in and around the Senate office buildings in response to a concerning 911 call. Please stay away from the area as we are still investigating," U.S. Capitol Police tweeted at 2:45 p.m. (1845 GMT).

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s legal team is characterizing his indictment in the special counsel’s 2020 election interference investigation as an attack on the former president’s right to free speech. But the case is not merely about Trump’s lies but also about the efforts he took to subvert the election, prosecutors say.

WASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose slightly last week, while layoffs dropped to an 11-month low in July as labor market conditions remain tight.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 227,000 for the week ended July 29, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 227,000 claims for the latest week.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump and his supporters are reacting to a third indictment against him with a now-familiar playbook: deflecting with unrelated accusations, distracting with misleading claims about the charges, and demonizing the prosecution.

Instead of convincing his followers about the seriousness of the charges, Tuesday’s indictment is being held up as proof of a conspiracy to take down the Republican ex-president and a continuation of the effort by Democrats, the media and the so-called deep state to interfere with the nation’s elections.

DETROIT (AP) — Hyundai and Kia are telling the owners of nearly 92,000 vehicles in the U.S. to park them outside because an electronic controller in an oil pump can overheat and cause fires.

The affiliated Korean automakers are recalling the vehicles and also are telling owners to park them away from structures until repairs are made.

The recalls cover certain 2023 and 2024 Hyundai Palisades, as well some 2023 Tucson, Sonata, Elantra and Kona vehicles. Affected Kias include the 2023 Soul and Sportage as well as some 2023 and 2024 Seltos vehicles.

BRASILIA, Aug 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the “world must help” Brazil protect the Amazon, ahead of a summit next week on the world’s biggest rainforest, a key buffer against climate change.

“We know we have a responsibility to convince the world that investing is cheap if it’s a matter of saving the rainforest,” the veteran told a breakfast meeting with international media.

LONDON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Greenpeace protesters draped the private home of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in black fabric on Thursday, stepping up their campaign against his government's policy on drilling for oil.

Sunak's record on environmental issues has come under scrutiny in recent months after he said he would take a "proportionate approach" to climate change that balances net zero ambitions with the need to keep consumers' bills down.

NEW DELHI, Aug 3 (Reuters) - China's loss in India could be Elon Musk's gain.

Tesla (TSLA.O) has had a red-carpet welcome from India for its proposal to invest in the country, while its largest rival in electric vehicles, China's BYD (002594.SZ), has been stopped cold by increased scrutiny from New Delhi.

The result could be an opening for Tesla to negotiate terms for an entry to the world's third-largest auto market without the competitive threat from BYD that it faces in other emerging markets, like Thailand.

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian court on Thursday imposed fines on Apple and the host of Wikipedia for failing to remove material deemed to be “false information” about Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — As the U.S. government was considering Kenya to lead a multinational force in Haiti, it was also openly warning Kenyan police officers against violent abuses. Now 1,000 of those officers might head to Haiti to take on gang warfare.

SEOUL, Aug 3 (Reuters) - A man in a South Korean commuter town rammed his car into passers-by on Thursday then got out and stabbed some, killing one person and injuring another 12, police and media said.

The unexplained attack in the commuter town of Seongnam near the capital Seoul came days after another rare stabbing attack which killed one person and wounded three others.

(AP) --- A Florida man sentenced to death for the 1988 attack on a woman who was sexually assaulted and killed with a hammer, then set on fire in her own bed, is set for execution Thursday after dropping all his appeals and saying he was ready to die.

James Phillip Barnes, 61, was to be executed by lethal injection at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison in Starke. It would mark the fifth execution this year in Florida.